Bracketology Breakdown: An In-Depth Look at The Shoe Ins and Cinderellas

With the NCAA tournament rapidly approaching, ESPN Joe Lunardi's Bracketology is heating up.

The question that always remains: who will dance and who will be sent home?

Here is an in depth breakdown of the best team for each listed seed.

Jon's No.1 Seed: Ohio State

Ohio State, Kansas, Texas, Pittsburgh

The Ohio State Buckeyes are still rolling. Their 23-0 start is the best in school history.

However, Ohio State is showing some signs of slowing down.

A close win at Northwestern and a lackadaisical performance at home against Michigan have some people questions.

Kansas (21-1) on the other hand seems to be heating up again. After a tough loss to Texas and a less than stellar performance against Colorado the Jayhawks have won their last two games by a combined 46 points.

Texas and Pittsburgh are the other No. 1 seeds. I still want to see more consistency from Pittsburgh and Texas with three losses is not quite there yet.

Until Ohio drops a game, they have to be considered the best No. 1 seed in this weeks Bracketology. 

Jon's Top No. 2 Seed: Duke

Duke, Notre Dame, BYU, San Diego State

At this point the top No. 2 seed is Duke.

Considered by most to end up as a No. 1 seed, the Blue Devils rebounded from an embarrassing loss at St. Johns by punishing Maryland on their home floor.

The discussion however, may not be as easy as some think. Duke is 0-0 vs the current Top 25 and doesn't appear to have a great win considering the collapse of Michigan State and Kansas State.

Notre Dame is close behind Duke. Since their loss at St. Johns, the Irish have won four straight including an impressive win at No. 2 Pittsburgh.

With a couple wins this week (vs Rutgers, vs Louisville) the Irish might be knocking on the door for a No. 2 seed.  

While BYU and San Diego State currently occupy the remaining two seeds neither have done enough to earn the top No. 2 seed in this week's Bracketology Breakdown. 

Jon's Top #3 Seed: Georgetown

Purdue, Uconn, Villanova, Georgetown 

The Big East occupies three of the four No. 3 seeds in this weeks Bracketology (Uconn, Villanova, and Georgetown).

Maybe the toughest seed to call, all four teams bring some serious potential to the table.

Uconn and Kemba Walker have proven to be a tough team to play as they have competed in every game this year.

The Huskies have four losses by an average margin of 6.7 points per game.

Georgetown is also playing good basketball right now. A current six game winning streak has the Hoyas poised to move up the seeding ladder.

Jay Wright has his Villanova Wildcats poised to make another NCAA tournament run.

The cats however have hit some bumpy road in conference play as they have dropped three of their last five. This alone removes them from this weeks contention of the top No. 3 seed.

The Boilermakers of Purdue join the Big East party.

The Boilermakers stock is dropping as they have dropped four of their last seven games.

It's a close call between Georgetown and Uconn but no one can deny the run the Hoyas are on over the past two weeks. The Hoyas get the edge as the top #3 seed. 

Jon's Top #4 Seed: Wisconsin

Syracuse, Wisconsin, Louisville, Kentucky

Another great crop of teams for the No. 4 seed.

Despite their abilities to make a run, each of these teams has experienced some very inconsistent play as of late.

With Kentucky holding a 4-3 record in league play, they do not earn the top No. 4 seed of this week.

Syracuse ended their four game skid with a nice over Uconn. The big picture keeps Syracuse out of this weeks top No. 4 seed.

Wisconsin and Louisville have very similar resumes heading into February. Both hold 6-3 records in their respective conferences and have had their ups and down this season.

With Wisconsin winning four of their last five they have the momentum and this weeks top No.4  seed. With great guard play and a spectacular scorer in John Leuer, this year could be the Badgers year to make an Elite Eight type of run. 

Jon's Top No. 5 Seed: North Carolina

Texas A&M, North Carolina, West Virginia, Florida

The theme amongst the No.5  seeds is potential. Each of these teams have the potential to play with any team in the country.

Potential however means nothing if it not executed. Texas A&M has had a chance to prove their worth twice against Texas this year but has not come close.

Florida has lost to the likes of Jacksonville and Central Florida. Their big chance came early in the season against Ohio State where they had it handed to them in an 18 point loss.

West Virginia has a nice win under their belt against Purdue. They have seven games remaining against ranked opponents to end their season. If the Mountaineers can go 5-2 in that stretch and take care of their non ranked opponents West Virginia could be seen as high as a No. 3 seed come season end.

The North Carolina Tar Heels edge out West Virginia this week. Having won 12 of their last 14 North Carolina continues to improve their tournament stock. Their one bad loss to Georgia Tech has most questioning their consistency.

We will know more after this week as they take on Florida State and #5 Duke in two big conference match ups. Having won their last two games by a combined 52 points, the Tar Heels get the nod this week. 

Jon's Top No. 6 Seed: Arizona

Missouri, Arizona, Washington, Vanderbilt

The No. 6 seeds in this weeks Bracketology are nothing to overlook.

With a combined record of 66-21 these four teams have shown their worth. Arizona is packing the most punch in this group as they have won seven of their last eight.

The other three teams seem to be trending the other direction.

Vanderbilt is 4-4 in their last eight, Missouri carries a similar burden with a 3-4 league record, and Washington is just 3-3 in their last six contests.

With Arizona playing so well they easily take the cake for the #6 seeds. 

Jon's Top No. 7 Seed: UNLV

Illinois, Tennessee, Florida State, UNLV

A nice mixture of conferences for the No. 7 seeds.

Mid major UNLV tries to hold their own with some of the big dogs from the Big Ten, SEC, and ACC. A 17-5 record looks good for the Runnin' Rebels moving forward.

While some are not so impressed with their league record of 5-3 it should be noted that the Mountain West Conference passed the ACC in the Conference RPI this week.

Tennessee has given a new meaning to rocky top as people wonder what will happen next. The Vols are 15-7 and have won five of their last six.

Florida State joins Tennessee on their roller coaster ride. The Seminoles have a great win against Duke but also have an ugly loss to Auburn. Come tournament time the win over Duke will mean more for Florida State. I

llinois continues to gut things out in the Big Ten. The Illini however have dropped four of their last six and are looking for anything to keep them from late season free fall.

For the shocker of the week, I will take UNLV as the best No.7 seed this week.

Losses to Louisville, San Diego State, and BYU are nothing to worry about. 

Jon's Top No. 8 Seed: Minnesota

Minnesota, Utah State, Cincinnati, St. Mary's

From afar this seems like a relatively easy pick.

The Gophers have some great wins under their belt and are playing good basketball down the stretch. Despite a recent loss to Indiana and a tough home loss against Virginia, the Gophers losses have been respectable.

Without a true point guard, Minnesota may struggle a bit down the stretch.

Utah State has a fun team and a great crowd. The Aggies sit at an eight seed due to their "easy" schedule.

Cincinnati has an impressive 18-4 record this year. With this team, the schedule plays an important role. With three of their four losses to top 16 teams the Bearcats also have no shame. They will need to prove themselves down the stretch against Pitt, Lousiville, Geortgetown (twice) and Uconn if they want to improve their seed. St. Mary's is flying under the radar as usual. T

he Gaels boast a 19-4 record this season and have a nice win over St. Johns. If they want to prove that they are worthy of a better seed, St. Mary's will need to win the rest of their games including their conference tournament.

Minnesota gets the gold for the No. 8 seeds for a tough schedule and some nice wins. 

Jon's Top No. 9 Seed: St. Johns

Temple, Marquette, Boston College, St. Johns

Going with a hunch, the Storm have earned the vote.

Their recent demolishing of Duke has shown that they can and will play with anyone. Having endured a brutal schedule, St. Johns is relevant in college basketball once again.

They have gone through a schedule that will allow them to be ready for anyone. The one thing that could steal the slipper is bad play down the stretch.

If St. Johns does not continue to win some of these tough games they may be left as the NIT favorite. 

Jon's Top No. 10 Seed: Michigan State

Old Dominion, George Mason, Michigan State, Xavier

As easy as Michigan State could pick up the pieces and turn this around, they could also continue to flounder their way into the NIT.

A strong hunch indicates that Sparty will get this turned around one way or another and sneak into the dance.

No disrespect to the likes of Old Dominion, Xavier, and George Mason who could all very well win a game in this years NCAA tournament.

Michigan State gets one last chance this week to keep their vote as the top No. 10 seed.

Jon's Top No. 11 Seed: Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech, UCLA, Cleveland State, Wichita State

The Hokies are looking for that coveted tournament birth.

In spite of their respectable 15-6 record it doesn't look like Lunardi likes their schedule. 

Virginia Tech has what it takes to not only make the tournament but to win a game. That is more than can be said for the other three No. 11 seeds. Barring a late season collapse the Hokies can improve their seed with a win over Duke.

While it is doubtful, they have enough wins left in their schedule to finish with a respectable resume.

Jon's Top No. 12 Seed: Penn State

Duquesne, Penn State, Missouri State, Alabama, Georgia, Kansas State

The Nittany Lions of Penn State have been playing some good basketball lately. They can continue to be a tournament team should they win five of their last eight games.

With a win or two in the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State might be heading back to the dance.

As for who is left out of this list, Kansas State doesn't seem to be showing any signs of improvement and Duquesne won't be able to finish out as strong as they need to. 

Jon's Top No. 13 Seed: UTEP

Harvard, Oakland, UTEP, Belmont

I love the No. 13 seeds in this weeks Bracketology.

While not all of them will win their game, Oakland, UTEP, and Belmont have all proven that they can play with good teams.

UTEP gets the nod if they can hold their own coming down the stretch in Conference USA.

Jon's Top No. 14 Seed: Vermont

Bucknell, Vermont, Fairfield, Coastal Carolina

Vermont gets the nod for the top No. 14 seed. The legacy of T.J. Sorrentine and Taylor Coppenrath live on as the Catamounts have the best shot at an upset.

Jon's Top No. 15 Seed: Long Beach State

Long Island, Long Beach State, Florida Atlantic, Austin Peay

Long Beach State lost to North Carolina by five earlier this season.

Their grueling pre-conference schedule gives them the best shot at being the cinderella of the No. 15 seeds in this years dance.

Jon's Top No. 16 Seed: Chatanooga

Chatanooga, Bethune-Cookman, Texas Southern, McNeese State, Northern Colorado, Bowling Green

The Mocs get the vote for the top No. 16 seed based on their conference reputation.

With no quality wins in this group, I do not see this being the year a No. 16 seed takes down a No. 1 seed.